Beauty and the Beast
by zElliexmagic
Summary: "Don't go into the forest," Levy says, "it's dangerous. Anyone who goes in there, never comes back out." Ridden with curiosity, Lucy goes into Magnolia Forest anyway and finds something she never expected...NaLu
1. Chapter 1

**Here is the first chapter of Beauty and the Beast! I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

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Beauty and the Beast (Ch. 1)

All Lucy knew was the cold. She slept in it, ate the scraps of food she could find in it, lived in it, bare and vulnerable. She never had enough clothes to keep her warm and since the autumn was settling in in Magnolia, Lucy knew she wasn't going to last long.

She sat at the side of the road, dirty and broken, begging every pedestrian who passed her for some money. She just wanted to buy a winter coat for the upcoming season. If everyone had given her one jewel, she's have enough money by the end of the day.

However, not one person turned to even _look_ at her when she begged.

The sun was going down and it was so cold Lucy's organs were shivering. She was lying on the ground, bare fingers and toes numb and she couldn't feel her ears.

Silently, Lucy cried. Just six months ago, she was the richest girl in all of Fiore. The Heartfilia Estate's property was bigger than the city of Crocus. And just like that, they were robbed. The thieves killed her father and her mother had been dead for years. The Heartfilia Mansion was nothing but a pile of ash now and the news spread quick. It was in the newspaper: "Heartfilia Estate burned to the ground! Jude and Lucy Heartfilia, killed!" Lucy didn't bother correcting anyone and telling them that she survived. It wouldn't matter since she was about to freeze to death anyway as the former Heartfilia Heiress – and now an orphan – at the side of the road.

Life can be tricky. At first, she's rich, now she's homeless.

"Miss? Miss?"

She didn't have the strength to lift her head when there was someone shaking her. She opened her eyes to see an old man and Mirajane Strauss, Lucy recognized her anywhere. The famous model she always looked up to was standing right in front of her. However, Lucy didn't care anymore.

"Master!" Mira exclaimed, "she's still alive!"

The old man took off his coat, wrapping it around Lucy's freezing figure. "Let's take her to Fairy Tail. Mira, help me!"

"Of course!"

Lucy felt herself being lifted up by the two people and before she went unconscious.

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"Miss? Miss, wake up."

Lucy fluttered her eyes open to adjust to the light in the room. She was warmer…warmer than she's been in a few months, and she sighed in bliss before taking in her surroundings.

She was lying on the couch surrounded by strange people. She could feel the warmth of the fireplace next to her and a blanket around her shoulders. As consciousness brought her back, Lucy became aware of the smell of _food_.

The smell of food is always followed by a loud rumbling that erupted from her stomach. Lucy would've blushed in embarrassment if she wasn't desperate to eat something.

Mirajane Strauss was standing next to her and at the noise from her stomach, she stood up and brought a bowl of soup over to her.

"Here you go," her sweet, soft voice echoed into her ears, "you'll need to sit up."

Weakly, Lucy obeyed and sat up, taking the spoon of chicken noodle soup and eating up as much as the bowl allowed to her. Afterwards, she was handed a tall, cold glass of water as the empty bowl was taken away.

She felt alive again; no one would ever know how much water and food could make someone come back to life.

"What's your name?"

She was then aware of how many people were sitting around her. Mirajane and the old man who found her were the closest, but she could see other people behind them. Now that her stomach was filled, Lucy was embarrassed that they watched her desperately devour her meal.

"It's okay," the old man spoke when Lucy didn't reply. "You're safe now. My name is Makarov. I'm the master here at Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes," he replied, "it's where you are now: Magnolia's orphanage."

An orphanage. It was one of the last places Lucy wanted to live in for the rest of her teenage life. However, these people saved her. The least she could do is be honest with them.

"Tell us your name."

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia and I, too, am an orphan."

Everyone in the room gasped.

"I thought the Heartfilia's died in a fire six months ago," a little girl with blue pigtails exclaimed. She was holding a white cat.

"Wendy! Don't be rude!" A redhead scolded. Lucy didn't notice her sitting near her.

"I'm sorry! I'm just surprised."

"I was the only one who made it out of the house," Lucy responded. "I've been living on the streets ever since."

"Master," a boy with black hair in the back said, "she could stay with us!"

"Yes," Makarov nodded, "Lucy why don't you stay with us and become a member of Fairy Tail. We'd love to have you."

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, "but being in an orphanage is one of the last places I want to live."

"But where else are you going to go?" A girl with blue hair appeared behind the couch. Her headband pushed back her bangs.

"I understand," Makarov smiled and nodded, "but I guarantee you that you'll like it here. At least stay here for a day and if you still don't like it, I'll find you a place to live."

Lucy nodded; she could work with that, "okay."

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Lucy's room in the orphanage was larger than she expected. The furniture was exquisite, and carpet was soft. It wasn't nearly as fancy as her mansion back at the Heartfilia Estate, but it was cozy and she loved it.

It didn't take her very long to know everyone's names; she had always had a good memory. Levy liked her immediately and was almost on her knees, begging her to stay. It touched Lucy in a way; she had never had friends before. The only friends she had known were the maids, a neglecting father, and a deceased mother.

The orphanage in and of itself was huge and Lucy could understand why they able to fit so many members with large bedrooms. Apparently, according to Erza, the orphanage was the pride of Magnolia.

It wasn't all the fancy rooms and food that suddenly made Lucy want to stay though, it was the people:

It didn't take her very long to fall in love with all her new friends that she was able to make within ten hours. She was welcomed – despite the fact she wasn't really a member – and was treated like a sister to them all. It had been a long time since she's felt loved and belonged. It was before her mother died, which was seven years ago.

When night fell the next day, she just couldn't leave the place; she was in love with everything already.

She changed her mind: an orphanage would be her first pick to live at, especially Fairy Tail.

Everybody literally cheered and celebrated by throwing a party, much to Lucy's surprise, but then again, she should've expected that. She felt like she's known everyone her entire life. The crazy bunch of orphans were the family she never had.

During the party, Mira pulled Lucy aside. It was then that she learned that barely anybody got adopted, but that was the way everyone liked it. No one wanted to leave Fairy Tail and Lucy was completely fine with that too. Thinking of someone else as her mother and father seemed horrible, like a replacement.

"Where do you want your emblem?" Mira suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Everyone one of us here has a fairy tattoo. It lets other orphanages from other cities know which orphan belongs to which orphanage. It also lets people know where we live. It's kinda a safety thing."

"That makes sense," Lucy agreed. "I guess I'll have it here," she pointed to the top of her right hand.

"Alright!" Mira smiled brightly, "what color?"

"Hmm…light pink!" Lucy felt giddy. Maybe it was because it was becoming official: she was joining Fairy Tail!

As Mira stamped her right hand, her emblem shown brightly, "now its official!"

Lucy squealed loudly, looking at it like it was a diamond. She turned around running to Levy, showing her the emblem.

"Levy, look! Mira just put the Fairy Tail mark on my hand!"

Levy in return squealed just as loudly as Lucy did and grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling it into her face to get a closer look. "Awesome! It's so pretty!"

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy!" Gray causally draped a welcoming arm around Lucy's shoulders. Lucy laughed, but she could feel Juvia's warning, icy eyes piercing into her back and she awkwardly pushed his arm off her.

"Thanks, Gray!" She exclaimed, laughing again.

Lucy loved it here…

As she ate some cake Mira made, she sat next to Erza and Levy, chatting.

"So, I've never been to Magnolia honestly," Lucy said, gaining Levy's attention. Erza as too engrossed in eating her cake to notice the blonde's words. "I walked here from Hargeon a couple days ago. What's it like here?"

"Magnolia is a rather warm town, even in winter: warm days, cold nights during the season. Everything is peaceful; you'll like it here!...except for the forest."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "the forest? What's wrong with the forest?"

Levy shook her eyes sadly. It seemed her appetite for cake dwindled. "I don't know really; nobody does. The police are still trying to do something about it. Don't go in there though," Levy says, "it's dangerous. Anyone who goes in there, never comes back out."

Lucy shivered at her words, losing her appetite as well. "Everyone who goes in there, dies?"

Levy nodded, "at least that's the rumor. It's probably a pack of wolves, but I wouldn't go in there to find out! Just stay away from there!" She giggled. "It's no use to throw your life away just to find out what in some woods!"

Lucy nodded and giggled, "I agree!"

As the two girls ate their cake, Lucy curiously couldn't help but think, " _what is in Magnolia Forest?_ "

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 **Please tell me that this wasn't rushed…**

 **-zEllie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there guys! It's good to be back in the writing business! After a hectic week, I need to sit down and punch the keys for a while. I hope you guys have been having a better week than I have. Are you guys as excited for "Dragon Cry", the new Fairy Tail movie as much as I am?! I can't wait for it! Though, rumor has it that this movie will be the ending of Fairy Tail, which is one of the reasons for my depression. I don't want it to end! :'( By the way, I've officially named my original version of "Beauty and the Beast"! I'm going to call it, "Demon Blood" although I might change it later if I find something more satisfying.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

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Beauty and the Beast (Ch. 2)

Lucy couldn't be more excited. It may seem a bit silly to most folk, but it meant a lot to her and she couldn't thank Master Makarov enough. He had given her money to buy a brand new winter coat.

Giddily, Lucy jumped and squealed in excitement. It had been a long time since she's owned a winter coat and she couldn't wait to buy one! Luckily, this fall day had high temperatures, but was windy. The wind was blowing from the north; it would soon be getting cold.

Lucy had been with Fairy Tail for another week and she couldn't be happier! She didn't regret her decision in the slightest.

She hummed happily to herself, eying the clothing store ahead of her. She was almost there. Gripping the money tightly in her palms, she skipped down the road like a little schoolgirl.

Suddenly, someone had bumped into her.

"Sorry," the man muttered before walking away and it would've been completely fine if the money in Lucy's hands hadn't disappeared.

He didn't steal it, no no. It was the weather; it was the wind.

She squealed, chasing after the flying money. She didn't want to lose it! She couldn't! She couldn't! Lucy desperately reached and ran, but it seemed the closer she got, the farther it flew.

And just her luck, the money blew right into the woods.

Lucy gasped, stopping in her tracks as she watched her money dodge a few trees before getting caught in a branch some feet inward.

" _It's dangerous_ ," Levy's voice echoed in her head. " _Anyone who goes in there, never comes back out_. _Stay away from there; don't go into the woods._ "

Lucy bit back the fear, but didn't dare take a step. She didn't want to be a name and number on a list of people who were killed in the forest. She didn't want to die, not when she's finally found a family and a home again. However, Master Makarov gave her his own money for a coat. He gave her 20,000J. That's _20,000J_! Lucy was in no way going to allow herself to walk back to Fairy Tail and ask for more money. And if she arrived back without a winter coat, her friends will surely notice.

It wasn't like she was _completely_ going into the forest anyway. A few feet into the woods couldn't hurt her. She'll be right back out before she or anyone else knew it.

Sucking it up, Lucy darted into the woods when no one was watching, reaching for the money…

And just her luck, it decided to break free right before she caught it, flying deeper into the dangerous forest.

"Dang it!" Lucy gritted her teeth; she was _not_ loosing that money! "Come on… _Come on!_ I don't wanna die!"

When it seemed it was lost and Lucy was about to give up, the money tumbled to the ground; the wind had stopped. She wasted no time in lunging for the jewels, cheering when she finally had a hold of it.

Shoving it into her pocket, Lucy stood up and turned around.

She couldn't see Magnolia; all she saw were trees. She was _completely_ emerged in the woods.

At first Lucy panicked, looking quickly and cautiously around her for any sign or danger and then she bolted, running to the way she came from. Even as she panted hard and her heart was pounding in her ears, she continued to run. Whatever was killing people in this forest, she didn't want to find out the hard way.

Lucy mentally kicked herself for being so stupid. How could she just blindly run into Magnolia Forest?! Stupid! Stupid! It had seemed she wasn't getting anywhere near Magnolia. She had run a long way and she couldn't see the town. Did she run the wrong way?

Crap! She was lost!

After that thought, Lucy decided to remain calm and save her strength, but as she began to slow down, she stumbled and tripped, falling with a small shriek.

"Grrr…"

When she looked up from the ground, she gasped.

Wolves began to appear out of nowhere! Their growling stomachs were apparent and Lucy shrunk back in fear as they showed their bright white fangs.

"Oh my gosh….oh gosh…" She stuttered in fear, not finding the strength to stand back up. Even if she found it, she was completely surrounded.

The pack of wolves began to cave her in and Lucy said a quick prayer before a tear rolled down her cheek.

A wolf lunged and Lucy shielded her face, gasping in fear.

There was a loud yelp of pain and Lucy felt something wet hit her bare arms covering her head.

"Grrr….Grrr…." It was deeper than before.

When Lucy slowly lowered her arms, the wolf that was in front of her was completely torn in two from the middle. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized the wetness on her arms was their red blood.

"Grr…" It was the deep growl again.

When she turned to the growl, she didn't know what to think. There was a stare down between the pack and her rescuer. He appeared completely different and Lucy only had time to observe the obvious black and dark red wings on his back before he attacked. He was so fast she could only see a flash before he was moving again.  
Blood flew everywhere; chunks of wolves were ripped apart and were flung to the side. From all of this, Lucy didn't move. She didn't shield herself from flying body parts nor grow in fear at the tearing of flesh.

For some reason, she found herself more fascinated than afraid.

It was weird, just a few moments ago, she was so scared she thought she would burst. Now, it seemed that it had all gone down the drain. It was quite possibly from the fact that she was saved.

The stranger had finally stopped in his tracks; he had killed most of the pack. With a dangerous growl toward the remaining few wolves, they took off running cowardly.

When they were gone, her rescuer turned to her.

Again, the black and dark red wings stood out the most. The black tattoo-like marks were noticed next, traveling down his arms and curling around his face. On his right shoulder were two weird, black hammers, symbolizing something she had never seen before. The dark red horns on his head stood up and pointed behind him and his dark red claws stood like razors at the end of his fingers…the fingers that were covered in wolves' blood.

He was terrifying; Lucy felt the fear flood back. He was towering over her it seemed as she was sitting on the ground. She now knew what was killing people in the woods; at first, she had thought it was the wolves, but he proved her wrong. Now he was going to kill her.

But then Lucy noticed that he was human – err _once_ human that is. His muscles were well build – she could easily tell: he was shirtless. It seemed that he had been exercising in the forest. Beneath the tattoos was sun-kissed skin that had tanned from the hours spent in the sun. As her eyes travelled upward, his tattoos stopped in the middle of his cheek, leaving the rest of his face free of it. His mouth was slightly gapped as he stared at her and the onyx eyes proved her earlier realization: he was once human; those are human eyes.

The fear then vanished; he was actually kinda…cute. Of course, ignoring all his demon-like features, he was cute. His pink hair somehow fit him adorably. It fit _him_ , not his horns or his wings. His pink hair matched his skin.

Lucy suddenly felt herself blushing; he was _really_ cute.

" _What is he?..._ "

Her rescuer seemed quite uncomfortable under her staring, but of course, he was observing her just as much as she was. He flinched when their eyes met and he turned, running at an inhuman speed.

Lucy shot to her feet, "w-wait!"

He was gone.

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What happened in the forest was all Lucy could think about the rest of the day. As her friends laughed merrily in the orphanage, she retired to her bedroom early that evening, stating that she was tired.

But she couldn't sleep…

When it was pitch black outside, a little past midnight, Lucy quietly crawled out of bed. Dressing warm, she zipped up her new aqua-colored winter coat and grabbed a few things she thought she might need. Before she left, she made sure she grabbed a flashlight.

The hardest thing to do was sneak out of the orphanage, Lucy had to dodge all the sore spots in the floorboards and find the key to unlock the front door. When she was out, she ran into the forest without hesitation. If her rescuer was going to kill her, he would've done it earlier and if the wolves found her again, he would save her again.

When she was a quite a ways into the forest, she came across a line of destruction, literally. Trees were bent, broken, and fallen; the dirt and grass were torn up. Lucy narrowed her eyes at it and followed the trail of mass destruction.

There was a rustling in the bushes nearby and Lucy jumped, but bravely walked toward it, still following the path.

There he was.

He was covered in dirt and caught in a thorn bush, leaving small scratches. Lucy put the two together: he was flying and crash landed.

She couldn't help it, she giggled.

His head immediately shot up from his position, but he had to look away because she was shining the flashlight at him.

She set it down and pulled out her pocketknife from her pocket. She didn't know why she brought it with her, it seemed like she had needed it just in case, and her gut was correct.

However, that was a bad move.

He had reacted of course: when Lucy set her flashlight down and he got a look at her face. At first, his eyes widened, probably wondering what the heck was she doing in the dangerous forest in the middle of the night. After she pulled out the pocketknife though, he reacted negatively. He growled ferociously at her, glaring daggers and struggling even more against the bush.

"Woah! It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you!"

He didn't believe her; he continued to growl.

" _I must be out of my mind._ "

Reaching calmly toward him and making sure he wouldn't bite her (he had large fangs, but pearly white teeth), Lucy placed a hand on his bare shoulder.

Her eyes widened, " _Woah! He's hot!_ " His skin felt like fire, but it wasn't enough to burn her.

When Lucy's palm came in contact with his skin, he retracted at first, but then begun to calm down as she whispered soothing words. "I'm not gonna hurt you…"

He stared curiously at her, no longer growling or struggling.

She flipped the knife open in front of him so he could see and waited for his reaction. He didn't move, but flinched when their eyes met again.

Slowly, Lucy cut each branch of the bush that was holding him back, watching his reactions in case he would attack her.

When he broke free, he jumped away from the bush and shook his body like a soaked dog. Lucy squealed, shielding her face from flying branches. As he calmed down, he looked behind him at his wings, flinching at the numerous thorns stuck in them.

"Here, hold still," Lucy cautiously went behind him, gently pulling out each thorn as he watched her. She felt around his thin, smooth wings for any thorns that she missed.

She had forgotten about the thorns though, his wings were so fascinating! Her pale, soft hands went down to the base where they met his shoulder blades, feeling his back muscles contract at her touch. Lucy's fingers traced the black tattoo-like marks over his shoulders and she walked around him to stand in front, continuing the path until the tattoo faded at his collarbone. She felt his eyes on her, but didn't take her chocolate ones off his inhuman body. She trailed her hands down his arms to his claws, gently tracing over the sharp, jagged, long fingernail.

"What are you?..." She wondered out loud, completely fascinated. "You're so cool…"

She met his nervous charcoal eyes then and went red, retracting her hands. Why was she touching him like that?! That was inappropriate! Although he hadn't pulled away, she still shouldn't have done that no matter how fascinated she was.

"I-I'm sorry!" She covered her red face with her hands. "A-are you okay? You know, you were in the bush…"

He didn't say anything; he didn't shake his head or nod. He simply stared at her with curiosity.

"I um…I wanted to thank you for saving me earlier. I really appreciate it."

His eyes softened then, but he still gave her a wondering look. Lucy had no doubt in his mind that he was thinking, " _strange girl. She came in the deadly woods in the middle of the night to thank someone like me for saving her?_ "

Lucy mentally kicked herself; what _was_ she doing here in the middle of the night? She could've just waited until the morning to come here and thank him. Of course, if that was the case, he would still be stuck in that bush.

"Um…have you…been in this forest all alone?"

He responded…he had actually responded! Well, he didn't say anything, but he nodded his head. At least it was something.

Lucy couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face, but responded sadly, "how could you be isolated like this?" She had been on the streets for only a little while, but it felt like years for her. Seeing him living in the forest _all alone_ was horrible! "I know you…well, look like this, but you should still find someone to talk to."

He didn't respond this time. Instead, he bit the inside of his cheek and looked up at the stars.

Wolves suddenly howled from the distance.

Lucy had simply glanced toward the black distance where she had heard the wolves, but her new friend had a whole other reaction.

He jumped into a fighting position, jerking his head side-to-side cautiously.

"What's wrong? It's just a bunch of wolves. You proved earlier that they're no match for you…and as long as you're here, I'm gonna be fine!"

He stayed in his fighting position, but looked at her as she spoke. She smiled at him then, but suddenly gasped as he swooped her up in his arms, bridal style.

The gasp was followed by a yelp as his sharp nails accidently dug into her skin of her right thigh and forearm.

The wind suddenly whipped at her like a tornado. Lucy clung to her new friend's shoulders, burring her face in his collarbone.

The wind left as quick as it came and when she looked up, she was right in front of Fairy Tail in Magnolia.

Wow! He was so fast! It's amazing!

He set her down then and Lucy hissed as he retracted his nails from her flesh. She could see him looking at his claws, covered in her own blood and then looked up at her with the most sorrowful eyes she had ever seen. He was sorry.

"I-it's okay," she waved him off, looking down at the five dots of blood on her thigh, "it's not a big deal; I can clean them. Thank you for taking me home."

When she looked up though, he was gone.

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I certainly had a fun time writing it! Either "Summer Camp" or "Lucy Heartfilia: FanFiction Author" is next.**

 **-zEllie**


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